Low Power

Measuring cardiac health and performance is important for fitness applications, but is also an essential part of many medical device designs. As medical remote patient monitoring becomes more important, the need for wearable Electrocardiogram (ECG) capability has become critical. Microchip’s Connected Wearable ECG Demonstration Board design can be used for advanced fitness tracking devices and also for the design of wearable remote patient monitoring and diagnostic systems.

Powered by a single AAA battery, this board uses the ECG method of measuring heart rate which can give a better picture of overall cardiac health than other methods. The basic measurements available are; heart rate, heart rate variability, heart age and stress level. Patient movement is tracked via an on-board accelerometer. This board can also be used as a development platform for devices utilizing more advanced ECG measurements. The on-board BTLC1000 BLE module allows the demo to communicate with tablets, smartphones or PCs, thus enabling IoT capability.

Demonstration Highlights:

• Ideal for portable/wearable medical/fitness designs
• Measures heart rate, heart rate variability, heart age and stress using ECG methodology
• Easy development of more advanced heart-health index functions
• Ability to do separate ECG lead I, II or III measurements with individual electrodes
• Advanced ECG algorithms can be developed with Microchip partner NeuroSky, Inc.
• BLE module is used for smartphone/tablet IoT capability
• Hardware support for CryptoAuthentication chip
• Low overall BOM cost due to high level of integration

Note:*This demo is not available for purchase. Contact your local sales representative to see a working demonstration of the Connected Wearable ECG board.

Satisfy Your Curiosity
Your next embedded design idea has a new home. Curiosity is a cost-effective, fully integrated 8-bit development platform targeted at first-time users, Makers, and those seeking a feature-rich rapid prototyping board. Designed from the ground-up to take full advantage of Microchip's MPLAB X development environment, Curiosity includes an integrated programmer/debugger, and requires no additional hardware to get started.

Your Tool for Function Enablement
Curiosity is the perfect platform to harness the power of modern 8-bit PIC® Microcontrollers. Its layout and external connections offer unparalleled access to the Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) available on many newer 8-bit PIC MCUs. These CIPs enable the user to integrate various system functions onto a single MCU, simplifying the design and keeping system power consumption and BOM cost low.

Internet of Things Ready
Have an IoT design idea? Curiosity can make it real. Out of the box, the development board offers several options for user interface - including physical switches, an mTouch™ capacitive button, and an on-board potentiometer. A full complement of accessory boards is available via the MikroElectronika Mikrobus™ interface footprint.
In addition, Bluetooth Low Energy communication can easily be added using an available Microchip RN4020 module.
Examples available for download or online editing viaMPLAB® Xpress

Summary
The Explorer 8 Development Kit is a full-featured development board and platform for 8-bit PIC® microcontrollers. This kit is a versatile development solution, featuring several options for external sensors, off-board communication and human interface. Additionally, it offers ample room for expansion, making it an excellent solution for developers and engineers looking for a tool with the largest number of supported 8-bit PIC MCUs.

Enterprise-Class 8-bit Development
The Explorer 8 Development Kit is the latest offering in a long line of enterprise-class tools for 8-bit PIC microcontrollers. The board is an evolution of the popular PIC18 Explorer Board, and has been updated to take advantage of our most modern features including:
On-chip Core Independent Peripherals
Compatibility with all PIC MCUs
8-, 14-, 20-, 28-, 40/44-, 64- and 80-pin footprints
With the Explorer 8 Development Kit, you can have a single development platform that allows you to update a legacy design while supporting our newest MCU offerings.

All-in-One Solution
Microchip designed the Explorer 8 Development Kit to be your main tool for 8-bit development with support for a wide variety of functions. On-board components enable easy development of human interface, power conversion, Internet of Things (IoT), battery charging and other applications using a powerful 8-bit PIC microcontroller. Additionally, the Explorer 8 Development Kit also has a large capacity for expansion. Two Digilent Pmod™ interfaces, two MikroElectronika Click™ board sockets and two custom expansion headers allow you to quickly adapt as your development needs change. The Explorer 8 Development Kit supports several program and debug solutions including the PICkit™ 3, ICD 3 and MPLABÂ® REAL ICE™ In-Circuit Emulator.

Made for MPLAB® Code Configurator
The Explorer 8 Development Kit seamlessly integrates with MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) for a modern embedded development experience. MCC is a free software plug-in that bridges our MCUs, development hardware and MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It allows you to generate easily modifiable, production-ready application code for many 8-bit PIC MCUs in just a few mouse clicks. Find out more at www.microchip.com/MCC

The LCD Explorer Development Board supports Microchip’s 100-pin Microcontrollers with x8 common Segment LCD Drivers. The LCD Explorer provides an ideal platform for a customer to evaluate a MCU with a x8 Common LCD Driver on a 38 segment x 8 common LCD display. PICtail Plus connections allow a customer to evaluate the selected MCU in a complex system by adding Microchip’s PICtail Plus daughter boards.

The MCP7941X RTCC PICtail™ Plus Daughter Board demonstrates the features and abilities of the MCP7941X and MCP7940X I²C™ Real-Time Clock/Calendar family in standard development platforms. By designing this daughter board with the PICtail Plus, PICtail and PICkit™ serial connectors, it will operate with the Explorer 16 Development Board, the PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board, the XLP 16-bit Development Board and the PICkit Serial Analyzer tool. A 3V, 2032-size coin cell battery (not included) can be installed in the coin cell holder for backup power. Package contents includes the RTCC PICtail Plus Daughter Board and an Info Sheet.

The MCP795XX PICtail™ Plus Daughter Board demonstrates the features and abilities of the MCP795XX SPI Real-Time Clock/Calendar (RTCC) family in standard development platforms. This daughter board will support the full featured 14-pin MCP795W2X and MCP795W1X devices. By designing this daughter board with both PICtail and PICtail Plus connectors, it will operate with the Explorer 16 Development Board and the PICDEM PIC18 Explorer Board. Also included is a 3V coin cell battery for backup power to the RTCC.

Bluetooth® has emerged as a standard of choice for connecting local embedded applications through a smartphone or tablet. Many applications only need simple command and control, or a quick status update from a sensor. By catering to these needs, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has evolved to support these low-duty cycle applications with lower power consumption. Microchip’s eXtreme Low Power PIC® Microcontrollers and RN4020 Bluetooth low energy module help in achieving low power consumption. The PIC24FJ128GB204 or PIC24FJ256GB410 devices used in this demo have an integrated hardware Crypto engine. This demonstration shows the simple communication between the RN4020 module and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) supporting smartphone or tablet. The RN4020 module is controlled by the PIC24FJ128GB204 or PIC24FJ256GB410 MCU which include a hardware crypto engine used for AES encryption in the demonstration. The demo is built using standard development tools from Microchip including the Explorer 16 Board, PIC24FJ128GB204 or PIC24FJ256GB410 Processor Plug-In Module (PIM), and Bluetooth LE PICtail Plus Daughter Card. These readily available tools can be used to easily replicate this demo on your own. The demo is supported by MCU firmware and an app that will run on an Android phone or tablet. The first application is turning the LEDs on and off using the touch buttons on the tablet. The app can also show the state of the switches on the board, toggling on and off. The demo also includes data security using the crypto engine integrated on the PIC24FJ128GB204 or PIC24FJ256GB410 MCU, with up to 128-bit AES. This demo shows a PIC24 XLP MCU working with Bluetooth LE talking to an Android tablet to show basic command and control similar to what would be used for a simple IoT sensor node. This demo can also be built using the PIC24FJ256GB410 Processor Plug-In Module in place of the PIC24FJ128GB204 Processor Plug-in Module.

The PIC24FJ256GA7 Curiosity Development Board is a cost-effective, fully integrated 16-bit development platform targeted at first-time users, makers, and those seeking a feature-rich rapid prototyping board. Designed from the ground-up to take full advantage of Microchip’s MPLAB® X IDE and MPLAB Xpress Cloud-based IDE, the board includes an integrated programmer/debugger and requires no additional hardware, making it a perfect starting point to explore the latest low-cost and eXtreme Low Power (XLP) 16-bit PIC24FJ256GA705 family of Microcontrollers.

The PIC24FJ256GA7 Curiosity Board enables easy and faster adoption of low-cost XLP 16-bit PIC24FJ256GA705 family of microcontrollers. PIC24FJ256GA705 microcontroller featuring up to 256KB of ECC flash and 16KB of RAM, is ideally suited for low power general purpose applications. The layout and external connections of PIC24FJ256GA7 Curiosity board offer unparalleled access to the Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) such as CLC, MCCP and DMA. These CIPs enable the user to integrate various system functions onto a single MCU, simplifying the design and keeping system power consumption and BOM cost low.

Crafted for Cloud-Based Development
The PIC24FJ256GA7 Curiosity Development Board offers seamless integration with the Microchip software tool chain, including the MPLAB Xpress Cloud-based IDE, XC16 compiler and MPLAB Code Configurator for easy set-up and prototyping.

Internet of Things (IoT) Ready
Have an IoT design in mind? The PIC24FJ256GA7 Curiosity Board can help turn your IoT design idea into reality. The board can enable applications with low power, low pin count and small footprint requirements as in IoT sensor nodes. Out of the box, the board offers several options for user interface—including switches, RGB LED, User LEDs and analog potentiometer. In addition, wireless connectivity can easily be added using 2 mikroBUS™ interfaces and wireless connectivity click boards™. A full complement of accessory boards is available via the MikroElectronika mikroBUS™ interfaces.

The environmental changes of today are no exception. Professional weather stations are rightfully used, but cannot be placed in every corner of the world. What if it was possible to make a low cost weather station, which almost everyone could afford? What if we together could help out with a piece of the puzzle, trying to solve problems ahead?

We have created a portable weather station that will measure and display weather parameters such as
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Environment Air Quality
• Light Brightness
and can be used in office environment and outdoor as well. The design uses Microchip eXtreme Low Power MCU PIC24FJ128GC010 which drives the measurement for all of the sensors. The sensor values undergo signal conditioning using microcontrollers integrated Op-Amps and analog to digital converters making the sensor reading suitable for digital processing. To allow user to control the board and select different operating modes capacitive buttons are implemented using CTMU peripheral. A segmented LCD display and USB are both output for the board. The board is powered by two AA batteries and also a coin cell connected to Vbat pin of the microcontroller for maintaining real time clock information even if the main battery is removed.

Besides displaying weather data on board, we can do meaningful use of data by sending data to cloud using computers. This demo also includes connectivity to computers using USB communications device class (or USB CDC), providing an interface for transmitting and receiving to other USB based systems. The demo is supported by Schematic, User guide and MCU firmware.

This level of integration is available on Microchip’s PIC24F ‘GC’ family, we call it intelligent analog and it improves system throughput, reduces noise, and reduces system cost by integrating several analog blocks. We also integrated user interface peripherals like USB, LCD to create a product that is perfect for portable medical and industrial sensors applications.

The kit is supported by demo examples which includes trusted execution environment, secure LoRa IoT node and Amazon Web Services (AWS) & Google cloud enrollment using Trustonic Kinibi-M, additionally it is supported by water tolerant touch and keypad touch demos. It has microBUS socket and Xplained pro extension headers to expand the development with Mikroelektronika click boards and Xplained pro extension kits. The kit includes an on-board Embedded Debugger, eliminating the need for external tools to program or debug. The kit also has Xplained Pro Analog Module(XAM) that can be used with the Data Visualizer tool to monitor and analyze power consumption in real time.